Global Warming and How it Affects Us

Global Warming has always been a phrase that has sparked much controversy, and a good number of people still seem to not believe that the concept is of any merit at all. Global Warming was first coined after scientists measured the average global temperatures over the years by studying decades of international weather reports. The findings were very interesting: it seems that the average global temperatures are gradually shifting, increasing the overall heat that is trapped in the atmosphere.

Global Warming however, is more accurately described as climate change. While it is true that a good number of areas are experiencing increased heat and higher temperatures, other areas like the Antarctic are experiencing a temporary cooling. The average global temperatures rose only by as little as 1?C in the part 30 years, which may not seem like much to most people, but actually prove to be catastrophic to the environment.

One of the most obvious effects of climate change and global warming is the occurrence of what researchers call “extreme weather”. Extreme weather conditions manifest in long, drawn out droughts, super typhoons, and torrential rain.

The proof is right there, and one must only look at the weather reports of the past decade. The last few years have given rise to some of the most destructive natural disasters in history. Super typhoons in South East Asian countries, Pakistan, and the United States have caused immeasurable flooding and the destruction of thousands of homes. The latest 2010 Russian heat wave on the other hand, decimated 9 million hectares of food crops with an excess of 10,000 human deaths.

One of the causes of these extreme weather conditions is the fact that global warming deeply affects the way water travels through our atmosphere. Prolonged heat causes severe droughts, drying up forests, killing crops, and using up important water reserves. Animals, plants, and people alike are experiencing heat waves and dehydration due to the lack of water sources.

However, with all of this water evaporated into the atmosphere, the air becomes overly saturated, which provides the perfect recipe for torrential rain fall and the development of hurricanes. The water travels far away from its original source drops the water in some far off country, creating death and destruction as well as high speed winds and severe flooding.

Another thing to take into account is that the sea levels are gradually rising due to the melting of the polar ice caps. While the rising sea levels are not enough to place the whole world under water, it is possible that strong winds and hurricanes would push the water deeper in land, creating more havoc.

The melting ice caps can also cause a sudden “methane belch”, releasing all of the trapped gas in the ice that has been encapsulated there for centuries. This would only exacerbate the already saturated atmosphere with more greenhouse gases, which would affect climate change even further. It is a vicious cycle.

All of these effects are now becoming much too unpredictable, and scientists fear the worst if the global warming and climate change problem isn’t reversed in the next few years.